Risk of future heart disease evident in obese children

New research suggests that children as young as three years of age may already show warning signs of future heart disease if they are obese.

Scientists already knew that obese older children and adults often have elevated levels of C-reactive protein, an inflammatory marker that is linked with possible future heart disease.

However, the latest study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill suggests that the association between excess weight and raised levels of inflammatory markers may start much earlier than expected.

The research, which looked at data on more than 16,000 children, found that 42.5 per cent of obese three to five-year-olds had elevated levels of C-reactive protein, compared with just 17 per cent of healthy-weight youngsters.

Senior author Dr Eliana Perrin, whose findings are published in the journal Pediatrics, commented: 'A lot more work needs to be done before we figure out the full implication of these findings.

'But this study tells us that very young, obese children already have more inflammation than children who are not obese, and that's very concerning.'

Judy O'Sullivan, from the British Heart Foundation, told the BBC that the study 'reinforces the importance of ensuring children maintain a healthy weight right from the start'.

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